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Rise in Suicide of Migrant Workers in Bahrain

February 9th, 2010

Bahrain Suicide

The Gulf Daily News reported last week about a growing number of suicides by migrant workers in Bahrain compared to previous years.
Only last month, four workers have committed suicide: two Ethiopian maids and two Indian workers (the latter are mentioned in the report). Alfredo D’Souza, found…

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Lebanese Ministry of Labor to create a complaints office for foreign workers

February 4th, 2010

Lebanon

Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar newspaper reported today the following. Following meetings between Lebanese minister of Labor and ambassadors and consuls and chargés d’affaires of several countries, a committee will be formed to address the problems of foreign workers in Lebanon, and of migrant ...

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The Invisible Majority – Female Migrant Workers

February 3rd, 2010

Abusive employers Housemaids Qatar Rape Suicide

by Khara J Jabola-Carolus for Migrant-Rights.org One of the last (two) countries where divorce is illegal and where the ruling Catholic elite maintains a staunch anti-reproductive rights stance, the island nation of the Philippines boasts a staggering population of 90 million people and (exponential...

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Faded T-Shirts, Faded Dreams: Nepal’s Gulf Returnees

February 3rd, 2010

Workers

The Gulf returnee is an increasingly common sight in Nepal. Whether you are in the capital city or a remote village, you can always find people (usually males) who have returned home after a stint working in the Gulf. Most of these individuals have worked in low-skilled jobs such as construction wor...

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Chasing the ‘Dubai Dream’: New Novel on Indian Migrants

February 3rd, 2010

UAE

Indian author Shamlal Puri has just released a novel that follows that struggles of Indian migrants in the Gulf States. The novel, ‘Dubai Dreams: The Rough Road to Riches’ was released during the World Book Fair in New Delhi, and takes a human look at the impact of the financial crisis o...

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Abused Migrant Women in Lebanon Fight Back

January 29th, 2010

Housemaids Lebanon Legal cases Women

Migrant Rights has extensively covered the abuses of female domestic workers in Lebanon. Now, some of these women are summoning the courage to fight back against their abusers by bringing legal cases against them. This article in AFP tells the story of 22 year old Nanda, a Sri Lankan woman who is on...

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HRW-NYU Coalition Protect Workers’ Rights In Abu Dhabi

January 28th, 2010

Gulf UAE Workers

New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Coalition for Fair Labor at New York University (NYU) have launched a campaign calling on NYU to make migrant worker protection a priority in upcoming negotiations with Abu Dhabi authorities responsible for the development and construction...

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Saudi mulls ban on Asian housemaids because they ‘don’t understand our culture’

January 27th, 2010

Housemaids Saudi Arabia Women

Saudi Arabia is mulling a ban on housemaids from certain Asian countries because they are ‘not able to adapt to local culture and tradition’ and are becoming too problematic, according to this article in the Arab News. This seems a rather preposterous claim given that many of the problem...

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Abused and Injured Filipino Maid Trapped in Lebanon

January 27th, 2010

Abusive employers Housemaids Lebanon Rape

The following ordeal of an abused Filipino worker is all too common in Lebanon. As we and others have documented, suicides by maids in Lebanon is an unfortunate result of this sort of abuse and feeling of helplessness. Gina (not her real name) is a 21-year-old Filipino who was brought to work in Leb...

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